The Bitcoin Saga Continues

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Libertarians love it. Governments hate it. And for mostly the same reasons. The Bitcoin infrastructure transfers digital currency between any two parties without involving financial institutions or government agencies. Transactions are private, encrypted and secure. About 60,000 such transactions happen each day, and they cannot be tracked, traced or taxed. Since the introduction of Bitcoin in 2009, we've witnessed the growth of a bitcoin economy currently worth more $8 billion, dozens of spin-off currencies, and the loss of several exchanges including its largest along with nearly $500 million. We're also seen at least one death, the misidentification of its anonymous inventor and a wild ride for investors. Here are some of the highlights.